For jail bosses and cons alike, Mick Philpott will be a difficult man to categorise. Although responsible for the deaths of six children, he is not a sex offender, or "nonce".

Nevertheless, he will be offered the sanctuary of the vulnerable prisoner unit, where most of his peers will have been convicted of sexual crimes.

Will he take the offer up? By all accounts, Philpott is a brash and confident man who probably believes he is capable of adapting to life on the wings and landings of the system. After all, he is no stranger to jail, having served seven years for stabbing a girlfriend in 1978. But times have changed and he should think carefully about his choice.

Philpott's trial exposed his habit of preying on vulnerable women and then living off them, which makes him a "ponce" in the eyes of the old-school criminals he will encounter, which will not make him popular. He is also known as a highly opinionated man, given to frequent outbursts.

Unless he changes his ways, he will find prisoners queueing up to put him in his place. He is a celebrity prisoner, who risks being seen as a prize target for those less in the limelight. He will serve his time in high-security prisons, where inmates count their time in decades, not years, and where many feel they have not a lot to lose.

Staff are supposed to be neutral, of course, treating the best and the worst in their charge with respect and humanity. But they are human and will find it difficult to treat Philpott fairly, especially if he displays the same attitude in jail as he did on the Derby council estate where he, his family and mini-harem lived.

My guess is he will finish up in Wakefield prison, dubbed Monster Mansions on account of its high number of sex offenders and killers. It is the largest maximum-security jail in the UK and it is used to handling high-profile prisoners.

Residents at the West Yorkshire institution include Charles Bronson, Levi Bellfield, Robert Maudsley and Robert Black. It was where Ian Huntley was attacked and Harold Shipman ended his life. Whether Philpott will feel at home there will depend on his attitude and demeanour.